US holds shipment of 18 human heads at airport
A package containing 18 human heads was seized by US Customs and Border Protection at Chicago O'Hare International Airport, according to ABC News on January 15.
Customs said the shipment was held before being turned over to the Cook County Medical Examiner's Office. "We stepped in because they couldn't keep the heads any longer," Tony Brucci, the medical examiner's office, told ABC News. "We're examining the heads in the forensic lab, but there's nothing wrong with the shipment."
Chicago O'Hare International Airport - Photo: ABC News
The shipment was headed to a research center near Chicago, but there appeared to be a problem with the paperwork. “The heads were properly stored and were to be used for anatomical research,” Brucci said. “It’s just that the paperwork wasn’t in order.”
"The researchers in Rome used these heads and then shipped them to the US to a facility near Chicago. This event, which sounds gruesome, is actually not unusual. Doctors, medical facilities and research organizations often transport human body parts by air - Brucci explained. This case was noticed because of a paperwork problem."
“It's not as strange as we think,” says Brucci. “People still ship body parts to universities and hospitals, we just don't hear much about it.”
In 2010, a shipment of 60 human heads and parts of heads was seized at an airport in Arkansas. The heads were supposed to be used for medical training, but were stopped because of improper packaging and paperwork.
According to Tuoitre - DT
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